Naomi Ackie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Naomi Ackie
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| Born | 2 November 1992 Walthamstow, London, England
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| Education | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Naomi Sarah Ackie (born 2 November 1992) is an English actress. She is known for her television roles in The End of the F***ing World (2019) and Master of None (2021) and in the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In 2022, she portrayed American singer Whitney Houston in the biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
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Early life
Naomi Ackie was born on 2 November 1992 in Walthamstow, London, the daughter of second-generation immigrants from Grenada. Her father was a Transport for London employee and her mother worked for the National Health Service. She is one of three children and has an older brother and sister. She went to Walthamstow School for Girls.
Her first role was at the age of 11, playing the angel Gabriel in a school nativity play. She studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and graduated in 2012.
Career
Ackie's breakthrough film role was in Lady Macbeth (2016), for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer in 2017. She subsequently appeared in Idris Elba's directorial debut Yardie (2018) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). She also portrayed Bonnie in the second season of Netflix's black comedy series The End of the F***ing World, and a school inspector in Education, an hour-long drama part of Steve McQueen's anthology film series Small Axe. Ackie starred in Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut Blink Twice (2024).
Ackie portrayed American singer Whitney Houston in the biographical film I Wanna Dance with Somebody. The film opened to mixed reviews but widespread praise for Ackie's performance, with Variety calling her "a veritable artist of lip-syncing." The Hollywood Reporter noted that Ackie herself is "a capable singer" and can be heard briefly in a few early scenes.
Ackie starred in Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17, based on Edward Ashton's science-fiction novel, alongside Robert Pattinson, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo.
Filmography
Film
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Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | I Used to Be Famous | Amber | Short film |
| 2016 | Lady Macbeth | Anna | |
| 2018 | Yardie | Mona | |
| 2019 | The Corrupted | Grace | |
| Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Jannah | ||
| 2021 | The Score | Gloria | |
| 2022 | I Wanna Dance with Somebody | Whitney Houston | |
| 2024 | Blink Twice | Frida | |
| 2073 |
Post-production | ||
| 2025 | Mickey 17 |
Nasha Adjaya | Post-production |
| The Thursday Murder Club |
Donna De Freitas | Post-production | |
| TBA | I Love Boosters |
TBA | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Doctor Who | Jen | Episode: "Face the Raven" |
| 2016 | The Five | Gemma Morgan | Miniseries (2 episodes) |
| Damilola, Our Loved Boy | Council Worker | Television film | |
| 2018 | Vera | Louise Everitt | Episode: "Black Ice" |
| The Bisexual | Ruby | 5 episodes | |
| 2019 | Cleaning Up | Beth | 2 episodes |
| The End of the F***ing World | Bonnie | Main role (season 2) | |
| 2020 | Small Axe | Hazel | Episode: "Education" |
| 2021 | Master of None | Alicia | Main role (season 3) |
| 2024 | Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy | Jedi Jannah (voice) | Miniseries (1 episode) |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Success | Lucy | National Theatre, London | with Islington Youth Theatre |
| 2012 | The Day the Waters Came | Esther | UK Tour | with Theatre Centre |
| 2013 | The Snow Queen | Gowrie | Greenwich Theatre, London | |
| Life Mould | Rita | Canada Water Library, London | as part of "Write Lines Conference" by Theatre Centre | |
| Missing | Kevin Godsen | Engineer Theatre, Edinburgh | as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe | |
| Billy the Girl | Amber | Soho Theatre, London | ||
| 2015 | The Nutcracker and the Mouse King | Mama | Unicorn Theatre, London | |
| Walking the Tightrope | Mercedes | Theatre Delicatessen | ||
| Solace of the Road | Grace Gibson | Derby Theatre, Derby |
Video game
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Jannah |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | British Independent Film Award | Best Supporting Actress | Lady Macbeth | Nominated |
| Most Promising Newcomer | Won | |||
| Evening Standard British Film Award | Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | ||
| Screen International Star of Tomorrow | 2017 Actors | N/A | Won | |
| 2020 | British Academy Television Award | Best Supporting Actress | The End of the F***ing World | Won |
| 2021 | Black Reel Award for Television | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Master of None | Nominated |
| 2023 | British Academy Film Awards | EE Rising Star Award | N/A | Nominated |
| Trophée Chopard | Female Revelation of the Year | N/A | Won |
See also
In Spanish: Naomi Ackie para niños
